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Local Nebraska Right to Life chapters spearheading opposition to Planned Parenthood expansion

Dec 10, 2012

By Dave Andrusko

The headline to the story is sure to solicit, “Well, of course!” But when you read, “Planned Parenthood Expansion Incites Strong Reactions Statewide,” a piece that ran on Nebraska’s  Public Radio Station “KNOW News,” you understand why that is especially true in Nebraska.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland is like the monster that devoured Cleveland. It keeps gobbling up smaller affiliates and expanding out of its home base in Nebraska and Iowa to Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.

The thrust of the story by Hilary Stohs-Krause is the lethal cat and mouse game Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH) is playing with pro-lifers in Nebraska. It announced some year and a half ago that in addition to moving south and east it wanted to expand its operation in Nebraska and tentatively listed six cities as sites for future abortion clinics.

“I think that those were larger population centers that had been identified across the state of Nebraska,” said Melissa Grant, director of business development for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. “Those may logically make sense, but there’s no definitive point about where we would go. No formal research really has been done to determine where we would be.”

In addition to the comments about new sites, PPH is also in the midst of an $11.5 million capital campaign—they’ve raised $9.3 million so far. 

Pro-lifers are not snookered by assurances that nothing is “set in stone.” They are laying the groundwork to oppose new abortion clinics when PPH attempts to come in.

That includes pro-life groups in Hastings and North Platte which have “presented petitions to their respective city councils voicing their opposition to Planned Parenthood–the latter, Western Nebraska Community for Life, did so just last month,” Stohs-Krause writes.”Member Peggy Orr said they collected more than 2,000 signatures.”

Which may be why, PPH “has to move carefully,” according to Stohs-Krause.

“I know that as we reach out into rural communities and people have seen less and less access to a provider,” [Grant] said, “there may be more stigma for women and men wanting to have questions answered or get information about birth control and how to take care of their body.” And Grant makes no bones about it: “Planned Parenthood’s definition of care includes abortion.”

Julie Schmit-Albin, Executive Director of Nebraska Right to Life, told NRL News Today, “Nebraska Right to Life is pleased to have been working with the Hastings and North Platte pro-lifers to keep Planned Parenthood out of their communities. They are doing an outstanding job, as are the local activists in Grand Island, Kearney, Fremont and Norfolk, the other four towns that PP has targeted.”

She expanded on the story, noting that Right to Life chapters in Hastings, Norfolk, Fremont and Grand Island have gathered 3,000-4,000 signatures.

“It is the local Right to Life chapters that are spearheading opposition to Planned Parenthood,” Schmit-Albin added.

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Categories: PPFA